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Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanour tax charges, while striking a deal with federal prosecutors to avoid conviction in a separate felony gun charge.
According to court filings released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Jun. 20 (U.S. time), the younger Biden received a taxable income of more than US$1.5 million (S$2.02 million) in 2017 and 2018.
However, he did not pay income tax for those years despite owing in excess of US$100,000 (S$134,000).
Biden, 53, also faces a charge for being an unlawful owner of a firearm for about 11 days in October 2018, during which he was still addicted to and using drugs.
For this charge, he has agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement, which could spare him from prison time.
However, the deal is subject to a federal judge's approval, while Biden must not own a firearm again nor consume drugs for 24 months, New York Times (NYT) reported.
Long-running investigation
The ongoing investigation is conducted by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware appointed by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.
Trump, while in office, had attempted to push Ukrainian authorities to investigate the younger Biden's involvement with Ukrainian energy company Burisma, which eventually led to the former's impeachment.
Biden’s lawyer, Christopher Clark, said in a statement cited by CNN that the agreement will serve to “resolve” the five-year long probe into his client's conduct.
Clark had looked into allegations of foreign lobbying, potential tax violations and money laundering as Biden apparently made millions from his international business relationships, according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, Biden had been public about his personal issues like drug addiction and alcohol, addressing them in his 2021 memoir.
“I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward,” said Clark.
In response to the court filings, a spokesperson from the White House said that the Bidens “love their son”.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment.”
Mixed reactions
Congressional Republicans criticised the agreement for favouring Biden, while said that they would continue to pursue investigations against Biden, Reuters reported.
Representative James Comer (R-KY), the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said that the deal was merely “a slap on the wrist”, and would not stop him and the House Republicans’ investigations on the Bidens.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) criticised the Republicans for being unhappy with the decision of a Trump-appointed lawyer and stated that the case demonstrated “the Justice Department’s continued institutional independence.”
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) remarked that the federal investigation was claimed to be ongoing so as to prevent the evidence from getting to Congress, NBC reported.
"How can Hunter Biden plead guilty, no jail time, and the [Department of Justice] say there’s still an investigation, trying to withhold information to the House? That’s unacceptable and will not stand.”
“If you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal,” Florida Governor and presidential contender Ron DeSantis was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
On the other hand, Democratic Senator Chris Coons (DE) said that the case was thoroughly investigated in the five years “despite the elaborate conspiracy theories spun by many”.
Trump reacts
Trump, who already made two court appearances this year, wrote on his Truth Social platform on Jun. 20 that “Our system is BROKEN!” and that the younger Biden was getting away with just a “traffic ticket”.
He earlier became the first former U.S. President to be indicted on criminal charges.
On Jun. 13, he pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges in relation to hundreds of confidential government records found at his Florida property after he left the White House.
In April 2023, he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in a case linked to hush-money payments to two women.
2024 Presidential Elections
The plea deal comes as the older Biden and Trump are gearing up for the 2024 presidential race.
The latter previously announced his bid for the presidency in November 2022, and is currently leading in opinion polls to be the Republican Party's 2024 candidate for president.
Incumbent U.S. President Biden announced his re-election bid in April 2023 alongside Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Top image via Getty Images - CQ-ROLL CALL, INC/Tom Williams